The New York Times

ENVER SAYS TURKS HAD TO FIGHT

Young War Minister and Generalissimo Lays Blame on Russia and Britain

TELLS OF THE NEW TURKEY

Not the Ethnological Carcass It Has Been Called---Army of 2,000,000

Well
Prepared

CONSIDERS VICTORY SURE

Thinks Dardanelle Safe --Natives Friendly to Americans, Despite

Shipment of Arms
to Allies

APRIL 20, 1915

CONSTANTINOPLE, April 18, (via London, April 20.)-- "I am glad you
asked that
question. This is not a war of the Turkish Government, but a war of the
Turkish
people," said Enver Pasha, the most remarkable men in Turkey, who at
the age of
33 years is War minister and Generalissimo of the Ottoman army , to the
Associated Press correspondent in the first interview ever given to the
American
press.

"Undoubtedly the world finds difficulty in understanding that the

Turkey of
today is no longer the Turkey of the past, but that, nevertheless, is a
fact
which should de apparent to all impartial observers," he continues.

The world's youngest Commander in Chief typifies the Young Turks in

intellectual
attainments and ideals. The conversation with him was carried on in
German, and,
besides having a thorough command of the German language, he speaks
excellent
French. Enver Pasha would be boyish in appearance, but for a rather
heavy brown
mustache. Alert, frank eyes, and pleasing manners make him a delightful
conversationalist. He has, moreover, a well-deserved reputation for
being the
handsomest man in the Turkish Army.

When the correspondent entered, Enver Pasha shook hands cordially and
said:
"I am sorry to have kept you waiting but I am very busy all day. You
have come
to interview me ? Well, I will make an exception in your favor. I am
averse to
talking to men of the press. What do you want?"
"The exact reason for Turkey participating in the war," was the reply.

Forced Into the War.

"You refer, no doubt," said Enver Pasha," to the assertions in the

newspapers of
Great Britain, France, and Russia that Turkey entered the war to help
Germany.
That is very true at this moment, not when we mobilized. Today Austria,
Hungary
and Germany help us; we help them. But we mobilized because there was
no way
out.

Long before we took this step Russia had grown ugly on the Black sea
and in the
Caucasus, invading our territory there, while England had already
operated
against Mesopotamia, and had concentrated a fleet before the
Dardanelle. We were
unwilling to start the ball rolling, and even after Russian attacked
our fleet
in the Black Sea we still waited one week before war was declared.

"We new that Turkey would again be led to the slaughter block; being
unwilling
that this should happen, we took the only course open. We Turks feel
that we
have a right to exist, especially when the best of us are straining
every effort
and are catching up with other countries in intellectual and material
development. I believe that there is much good in the Turkish people,
contrary
to what our traducers say. At any rate, we are about to prove it.

"There was a time when Turkey was merely a Government clique, which was
not
trusted by the people, but gradually the people are beginning to feel
that they
themselves are Turkey. I think that this is the healthiest sign here
today, and
there is also the promise that the progress of all civil life will be
rapid."
At this moment the War Minister's Chief of Staff entered with papers.
When these
were disposed of the interview was continued.

"We are taking care of our troops today," said Enver Pasha; "hence
their
loyalty. Formerly a rifle was given to a man and he had to shift for
himself as
best he could. Today we see that his land is cultivated in his absence.
Each
village has this system. while a man is at the front his neighbors till
his
soil.
"This measure has been so effective that the area of cultivated land is
20 per
cent greater than ordinary," he went on. When a man is in the field we
see that
he is cared for, simply perhaps, but sufficiently. The Turkish soldier,
moreover, now known how to shoot well. This is instilling the
confidence he
formerly lacked."

Get Rid of Army's Dead Wood.

To the question as to what was responsible for the better quality of

troops,
which has been so very apparent, Enver Pasha replied:

"When I reached the head of the army I discharged on my second day

in????? about
3,000 old officers who had formerly been merely a burden on the Ottoman
military
establishment. Next I made every effort to have a common soldiers feel
that he
was part of the service, instead of the subject of it. It can hardly be
believed
the difference this made. The men now have an esprit de corps."

"How did you manage to mobilize your army of almost two millions with
limited
resources?" he was asked.

That was a problem, of course, but we overcame it. we had a lot of old
Snider
rifles ready for the junk market. These I caused to be distributed
among the
gendarmerie, taking from them their modern rifles. There was formerly a
large
gendarmerie force in Turkey," explained Enver Pasha, smiling. "Now it
is not so
great -- we don't need it. So we armed many men with new rifles. Today
every man
at the front is well armed. It was a case of helping yourself. We did
it."

Replying to questions as to the present status of the campaign, the

Generalissimo said:

"Conditions in the Caucasus are more satisfactory. Regarding the

situation in
the Dardanelles, I will say we are fully confident that it has been
demonstrated
that fighting down the forts there will be a huge task for the Allies.
But even
should that happen we would still be masters of the situation there by
means of
howitzers, mines, and a fleet which is not so incoming up the strait
would be
obliged to move in single file and the effectiveness of our protective
measure
should be apparent."

In view of the fact that some excitement has been observed in Turkey
because of
the export of arms and ammunition from the United States to the Powers
of the
Triple Entente, particularly Russia, Enver Pasha was asked for his
views on this
subject, and replied;

Friendly to Americans in Turkey.

"The matter has occupied us for some time--even the populace, but you
may have
notice that there has been no anti-American outbreak on that account.
Since the
elimination of the Capitulations, this was the first situation in which
the
Turkish people might express resentment in a drastic way, but our of a
few
manufacturers is not the fault of those Americans living here, and,
therefore,
our old good relations continue.

"We are not savages, who hold the innocent responsible for something
not their
fault. There are still living in this city under the nominal protection
of your
embassy, plenty of English and French. They have not been molested
despite the
fact that our own people have not been treated kindly in France and
England.
Young Turkey is ready to demonstrate that no particular group holds
monopoly on
gentlemanliness and so we shall continue taking the best of care of
everybody,
no matter what the provocation."

"When the Capitulations were abolished everybody thought that

foreigners in
Turkey were unsafe, but time has shown that foreigners were never safer
as you
must have observed. But the export of arms and ammunition from the
United States
to the Entente Powers can have but one result-useless killing. Turkey,
like
Germany and Austria-Hungary is determined to win this war and there is
every
indication that we will."

Speaking of Turkey after the war Enver Pasha said:

"Turkey will emerge from this war truly united and stronger than ever.
The war
is popular with the people now because it has given the Government an
opportunity that it takes an interest in the people and is for the
people.

"Not wishing to show favors, we called everybody able to serve to arms,

with the
result that we got more than we needed. Many of the surplus men are now
building
road everywhere even railroads. During the last month we completed
fifteen
kilometers in Anatolia, and during the last three months forty
kilometers , so
constructed, were given over to traffic. In Syria also we have
built ????toward
the Sues Canal.

Army of the New Era, too.

"In addition, the war has brought together under a superior class of
officers
2,000,000 men, and the schooling given them is bound to result in good.
We are
fostering the spirit hero that one must work for others also and that
the old
era of devil take hindmost is over."

The War Minister, commenting on the work of The Associated Press

correspondent
in Turkey, said that it had been described as they were, and added that
he had
given orders that the correspondent be permitted to go anywhere.

"We have no secrets," he said. "Describe everything you see. Though our
experience with some newspapers has been sad, we are willing to trust
those who
do not require their correspondents to lie to them. What I have said
will
possibly have no influence; that is the reason why so far I have
refused to be
interviewed."

The correspondent ventured the opinion that everything has some

influence
replying to which Enver Pasha said:

"God grant it will. We Turks have long been dented a fair hearing
before the
public. We are so used to slander that we are now willing to convince
the world
with arms that we are not the ethnological carcass some claim."

The interview with the War Minister took place in the War Department
Building,
which presented an extremely busy scene. Before the turn of the
correspondent
came many others saw the Minister, among them Turkish leaders from all
parts of
the empire, Arabs, Persians, and Indians most of them in European
dress, waited
for hours to see the young man who guides the military and, to some
extent, the
political fortunes of Turkey.

The contrasts about the large and well-furnished chamber were many.
None was so
striking, however, as when the muezzin on the ministry minaret called
the
faithful to prayer, and was answered the next minute by a concert
rendered by a
splendid military band, which played German marches and opera
selections, and
ended with a weird Turkish air.